Car-coupling



(No Model.) Y

W. E. WALL 8v J. W. HADDIGK.

GAR GOUPLING.

No. 457,626. Patented Aug. l1, 1891.

Il E' d UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

VILLIAM E. IVALL AND JOHN IV. H ADDICK, OF GRENADA, MISSISSIPPI.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 457,626, dated August11, 1891.

Applicata/cion led April 17, 1891. Serial No. 389,306. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that we, WILLIAM E. WALL and JOHN NV. HADDICK, citizens ofthe United States, residing at Grenada, in the county of Grenada andStateof Mississippi, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Car-Couplers; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same,reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters ofreference marked thereon, which form a part of this specication.

Our invention relates to improvements in car-couplers; and the objectsare to provide a simple and inexpensive contrivance for automaticallycoupling two approaching cars, and thus obviate the necessity of thebrakeman standing between the cars to couple them, and at the same timeenable the coupling-pin to be lifted from the side of the car and placedin position for operation.

With these ends in view our invention consists in the peculiarconstruction and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafterfullydescribed and claimed.

To enable others to understand our invention, we have illustrated vthesame in the accompanying drawings, in-which- Figure l is a sideelevation of our improved coupler. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectionthereof, and Fig. 3 is a vertical crosssection on the line m of Fig. 2.Fig. 4 is a detail view of the slide.

Like numerals of reference denote corresponding parts in the drawings,referring to which- A B designate two draw-heads designed to be securedor fastened in any approved manner to the ends of two railway-cars to becoupled together. Each draw-head is provided at its front end with theusual chamber B', designed for the reception of the link C, which entersthe chambers in the two draw-heads, and the draw-heads are extended inrear of the link-chambers to form the draw-bars D, by which thedraw-heads are attached to the cars. In the upper part of the drawbar isformed a longitudinal chamber or recess D', which extends forward intothe draw-head and opens into the link-chamber, and in the side walls ofthe longitudinal chamber D areprovided the grooves or ways d', which areparallel and coincident with each other. In these channels or grooves din the longitudinal chamber are iitted the edges of a longitudinal slideE, which extends for a suitable distance rearwardly in the chamber. Theforward end of the slide extends through the upper part of thelinkchamber, above the horizontal partition c therein, and outwardbeyond the draw-head through the slot a in the front end, and thisextended end of the slide is bent upward to form, or suitably providedwith, a buffer or head E', which lies vertically in front of thedraw-head and at a suitable distance in advance of the same to permitthe slide to have the necessary endwise movement for dropping orreleasing the pin before the buffer or head E contacts with thedraw-head. The slide is backed by a coiled cushion-spring F, seated inthe longitudinal chamber of the draw bar and head, and the slide andspring are housed and concealed by a cap-plate f, suitably iixed to thetop of the draw-bar. This spring normally projects the slide to such adistance beyond the draw-head that the buer or head E is in position tobe struck by the corresponding head or buffer on another car, wherebythe slide is forced or pushed rearward in its guide-grooves by theimpact of the abutting buffers when two cars come together.

At the front end of the draw-head we provide a vertical tubular guide G,which may be integral with or fixed to the draw-head, and the upper endof said guide is closed by a perforated head or cap g, in which acentral opening g is provided for the passage of the link or cord 71,thatleads to the gravity coupling-pin H, said pin being fitted snugly inthe tubular guide and limited in its upward movement or adjustment bythe head of the cap.

In the top of the draw-head and the partition c are the verticalpin-holes z'z" which are in vertical alignment with the hollow guide G,and through which the coupling-pin must pass to enter the link-chamberand engage the link. The pin is sustained in its elevated IOO positionby the spring-pressed slide E, and to permit the pin to drop this slidehas a longitudinal slotj, the rear boundary-wall j of which is curvedand forms part of the perimeter of the pin-hole. As the pinis limited inits upward play or adjustment bythe head orcap of the tubular guide, thelower end of such pin rests in the slot in the slide E, and as thisslide is normally pressed or forced by its spring the edge j of theslidebears orpresses with considerable force against the lower end ofthepin, thus gripping the pin between one of the walls of the tubularguide and the edge j of the slotted slide, whereby the coupling-pin isheld firmly in its elevated position ready for use at all times.

In coupling cars, the link is passed or fitted in one of the draw-'headsand the pin dropped to engage the head of the link. The cars nowapproach each other, and as the buffers or heads E strike one anotherthe two slides are forced inward to free one or both of thecoupling-pins, which drop through the slots in the slides and engage thelink, thus effecting the operation of coupling automatically. 'Iouncouple, it is only necessary to pull on the line or pitman from theside of theV car and raise the pin, thus freeing it from the link,whereupon the coiled spring forces the slide forward to cause the edge jthereof to impinge on the pin and sustain the same in its elevatedposition.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is- In acar-coupling,the draw-head having the longitudinal chamber above the link-chamberextendinginto the draw-bar thereof and provided with the grooved sidewalls, combined with the vertical tubular guide in line with thepin-holes, the pin fitted in sagid vertical guide and limited thereby inits upward play, the slidefittedin the grooved sides of the chamber andprovided at its front end with the vertical buer or head and with thelongitudinal Slot, having its rear terminal forming a part of theperimeter of the pin-hole and impinging forcibly against the lower endof the coupling-pin when elevated, the link, and the cushionspringimpinging against the slide, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we affix our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

VM. E. IVALL.

ms JOHN IV. HADDICK.

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